Colonels fend off Spring Hill for home-opening women’s hoops win

THIBODAUX, La. – Redshirt freshman Paige Williams scored a team-high 17 points to lead five Colonels in double figures and Cassidy Barrios turned in her second double-double in as many games, as the Nicholls State University women’s basketball team picked up a hard-fought 78-70 over Spring Hill College Tuesday night in Stopher Gymnasium.

The win puts Nicholls at 1-1 on the season after its near-win at SMU to start the campaign. Spring Hill, an NCAA Division II program, counted the game as an exhibition.

Although the Colonels never trailed in the game, their largest lead wasn’t until the final 90 seconds when they went up by 12 points. Nicholls outscored Spring Hill in three of the quarters, with the lone exception coming in the third. Spring Hill had a 24-20 advantage in the period as they trimmed the deficit down to 58-56 before Tia Charles (12 points) drained a 3-pointer as time expired.

Spring Hill came within two early in the fourth, but Kinzie Heineman and Paige Williams knocked down a pair of 3-balls to end the threat. Nicholls led by double-digits in the final four minutes until a late 3 by Spring Hill’s Elise Reilly made the final.

After connecting on just 6 of 33 from long range in the opener, Nicholls made 50 percent of its 3-pointers on 14 attempts. Heineman sparked the team off the bench with three from behind the arc, finishing with 11 points, and Charles and Williams knocked down two each.

Barrios, the reigning Southland Player of the Week, ended her night with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Charles had 12 points and five assists, while Destiny Collins came off the bench for 10 points and three assists. Nicholls outscored the Badger bench, 34-19, helped by eight points from Marina Lilly.

Spring Hill was led by 18 points from Jewel Hill and 17 by Tiffany Valentine.

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Nicholls will host Jacksonville University this Saturday (Nov. 18) at 1 p.m. Last season, JU handed the Colonels a 76-71 loss in Florida.